ON TOUR
30.11.17 Frankfurt (ger) - Phonophon
16.12.17 Münster (ger) - Cuba
SANKT OTTEN + N - MÄNNERFREUNDSCHAFTEN UND METAPHYSIK [CD|2xLP|DIGITAL]
N(49) + SIMULACRA - BIRKA [LP|DIGITAL]
N(43) - ANKLAM [LP|DIGITAL]
The German instrumental duo SANKT OTTEN (Stephan Otten, Oliver Klemm), founded in 1999, has been releasing music on Denovali Records since 2009. Their 10th full length album called MÄNNERFREUNDSCHAFTEN UND METAPHYSIK (eng: Male Friendships and Metaphysics) is once again a collaboration record - this time with fellow countryman and experimental guitarist N (Hellmut Neidhardt). The eight pieces on the album are based on freely improvised studio sessions and have all been recorded live, with a few overdubs added by SANKT OTTEN later.
SANKT OTTEN's Denovali labelmate N - for whom this album is release nr. 47 - is well-known for Noise, Ambient and Drone sounds standing apart from classical song writing. The aim of this collaboration was to combine the perspectives of the genres of both partners, with N adding a grave and menacing mood to SANKT OTTEN's Electronica and Kraut Rock and SANKT OTTEN providing the sound walls of N with an unusual dynamics.
In line with the release of N's collaboration record with SANKT OTTEN, September 2015 sees the release of two further N-related records.
The first one is his latest solo record - N(43) - „Anklam“ -, featuring the three tracks „Daemmerung“, „Restlicht“ and „Requiem“. It is a album Neidhardt somehow knew to be located in the dark fields of blinding error and its consequences, thus anything there might be a bit ambiguous in its meanings. From deeply melancholic, coarse-grained waves of sound, buried under tons of beside-noises to the last rearing of the sound of the sun before falling into the sea. And then you are still there, time has stopped, all has stopped. Exept the endless hovering of the requiem. „Anklam“ is once again a direct-two-track recording without any cut and paste, with Neidhardt just using his guitar / FX / amp setup - regardless how it may sound.
The second new record is N(49) „Birka“, a collaboration with SIMULACRA from Belgium. This is probably the one of N's collaborations that took the longest time to make so far and Neidhardt is happy to take part of the blame for that: Simulacra is known for his very deep, void-like sound aesthetic, with deeply breathing synth sounds without any artifacts around. For this reason it was very difficult for the two collaborators to figure out a corporate sound; they only knew they found this after it had happend at last... Well and from this moment, it was quite easy. Expect a very dark album, with a lot of bass, with N's guitar sometimes emerging from the depth of Simulacra's soundwalls, sometimes working as something like a driving force from underneath; slowly shifting frequencies through endless caverns, reverberating from the black walls. "This record is soo dark, we love it... (and thus are really happy we made it in the end...)." states Neidhardt.
30.11.17 Frankfurt (ger) - Phonophon
16.12.17 Münster (ger) - Cuba
SANKT OTTEN + N - MÄNNERFREUNDSCHAFTEN UND METAPHYSIK [CD|2xLP|DIGITAL]
N(49) + SIMULACRA - BIRKA [LP|DIGITAL]
N(43) - ANKLAM [LP|DIGITAL]
The German instrumental duo SANKT OTTEN (Stephan Otten, Oliver Klemm), founded in 1999, has been releasing music on Denovali Records since 2009. Their 10th full length album called MÄNNERFREUNDSCHAFTEN UND METAPHYSIK (eng: Male Friendships and Metaphysics) is once again a collaboration record - this time with fellow countryman and experimental guitarist N (Hellmut Neidhardt). The eight pieces on the album are based on freely improvised studio sessions and have all been recorded live, with a few overdubs added by SANKT OTTEN later.
SANKT OTTEN's Denovali labelmate N - for whom this album is release nr. 47 - is well-known for Noise, Ambient and Drone sounds standing apart from classical song writing. The aim of this collaboration was to combine the perspectives of the genres of both partners, with N adding a grave and menacing mood to SANKT OTTEN's Electronica and Kraut Rock and SANKT OTTEN providing the sound walls of N with an unusual dynamics.
In line with the release of N's collaboration record with SANKT OTTEN, September 2015 sees the release of two further N-related records.
The first one is his latest solo record - N(43) - „Anklam“ -, featuring the three tracks „Daemmerung“, „Restlicht“ and „Requiem“. It is a album Neidhardt somehow knew to be located in the dark fields of blinding error and its consequences, thus anything there might be a bit ambiguous in its meanings. From deeply melancholic, coarse-grained waves of sound, buried under tons of beside-noises to the last rearing of the sound of the sun before falling into the sea. And then you are still there, time has stopped, all has stopped. Exept the endless hovering of the requiem. „Anklam“ is once again a direct-two-track recording without any cut and paste, with Neidhardt just using his guitar / FX / amp setup - regardless how it may sound.
The second new record is N(49) „Birka“, a collaboration with SIMULACRA from Belgium. This is probably the one of N's collaborations that took the longest time to make so far and Neidhardt is happy to take part of the blame for that: Simulacra is known for his very deep, void-like sound aesthetic, with deeply breathing synth sounds without any artifacts around. For this reason it was very difficult for the two collaborators to figure out a corporate sound; they only knew they found this after it had happend at last... Well and from this moment, it was quite easy. Expect a very dark album, with a lot of bass, with N's guitar sometimes emerging from the depth of Simulacra's soundwalls, sometimes working as something like a driving force from underneath; slowly shifting frequencies through endless caverns, reverberating from the black walls. "This record is soo dark, we love it... (and thus are really happy we made it in the end...)." states Neidhardt.